Re-do the test!
It's a cool opportunity to be able to run a fresh set of a 40+ year old performance tires, vs the current crop of EXTREME PERFORMANCE tires and see just where tire tech has moved over the decades.
Update by David S. Wallens to the
Porsche 911 Carrera project car
Jan 15, 2020
Time travel exists.
It’s not limited to Doc Brown, Bill and Ted, and the Terminator.
How do we know?
A brand-new set of Yokohama Advan A008P tires just hit our doorstep. Back in the day, the A008 defined both performance and coolness.
First, how about a little history lesson from the tire maker itself:
“In 1976, European tire product reviews stated that the wet performance of passenger-car radial tires from Japan was poor. Yokohama Rubber accepted this technical challenge and developed the tire with the world’s highest level of wet performance: the ADVAN-HF, which was then introduced to the market in 1978. The first tire in the ADVAN series, the ADVAN-HF was designed to provide superior grip in wet and dry conditions and became Japan’s first sports radial tire, opening up a new genre in Japan’s tire market.”
The Advan A001 followed, arriving for 1981 and billed (at least by Yokohama) as Japan’s first high-performance radial tire. And soon after, Yokohama released a bombshell: the Advan A008, the tire that dominated the SCCA through a good chunk of the ’80s.
The Advan A008 swept top honors in our own testing, too. The September 1986 issue of Auto-X, the magazine that became our sister magazine, Grassroots Motorsports, features a tire shootout: “Not only did the Yoko finish on top of both objective tests, its manners also received the highest praise on the subjective ratings regarding turn in and cornering stability.”
The September 1986 issue of Auto-X, the magazine that became today’s Grassroots Motorsports, found the A008 to be fast and responsive.
Where’d you get a set? Tire Rack. Checks accepted.
For street drivers, Yokohama offered the AVS Intermediate, another favorite. A visual defining feature of all of these tires? Those holes in the outer tread blocks.
Pulled from our own archives: a press photo of the AVS Intermediate.
But wait, there’s more: In 1989, Yokohama released a version of the A008 engineered specifically for the day’s Porsche 911: Welcome, the A008P. “After receiving Porsche’s technical certification, the tyre was installed as original equipment on the Porsche 911 type 964,” a recent release states. “The ‘YOKOHAMA A008P’ paved the way for Porsche’s steady use of YOKOHAMA brand tyres, including today’s flagship tyre, the ‘ADVAN Sport V105’.”
The A008 gradually faded into the history books, with only a 10-inch version for the classic Mini remaining. So long, ’80s, you were fun. Newer, faster Yokohama Advan models had come along.
Fast forward to modern times: On March 7, 2017, Yokohama announced a reintroduction of the Porsche-specific A008P. The lineup would include a 205/55ZR16 91W for the front along with a 245/45ZR16 94W rear. The only catch: European sales at first with “other regions considered.”
Looks like the U.S. finally made the cut. We just received a set bearing that all-important DOT stamp. While our 1984 Porsche 911 Carrera wears the standard flares, these wider tires should work well with our Turbo wheel setup.
Where can you get some? Contact your favorite Yokohama dealer.
Updates and impressions, of course, to follow.
Here it is: a Yokohama A008P bearing the all-important DOT stamp.
Fans of the original A008 will recognize that tread.
And the sidewall.
And the period-correct markings, too.
UTQG specs on the A0008P: 240 treadwear, A traction, A temperature.
The NO stamp means that these were designed with the Porsche in mind.
Re-do the test!
It's a cool opportunity to be able to run a fresh set of a 40+ year old performance tires, vs the current crop of EXTREME PERFORMANCE tires and see just where tire tech has moved over the decades.
While the tire has the same physical appearance, I'm skeptical that they're using a 40 year old chemistry, just assuming some of the chemicals used in tire manufacturing from the era are likely banned now, forcing a use of newer formulas. These 'reissued' tires may have more in common with a modern tire than one from the 80s.
In reply to Coupefan :
I agree, the technology has moved on. Yokohama’s latest max performance tire is the Advan A052. We tested it early in 2019 and found it to be fast. And the Tire Rack SCCA Solo Nationals confirmed that fact.
I had several sets of the original A008. First on a 1980 Celica, then on a 1976 RX4. They were cutting edge at the time.
In reply to Planet_Scott :
Totally. I ran them on a Sentra SE-R, Rabbit GTI and a Mini Cooper.
Just to be clear, that was the then-new A008R in the 1986 test, and not the regular A008, which looked similar but was very different. The "R" was significant enough that the term "R compound tires" became an informal term for the new category of DOT competition tires.
In reply to David S. Wallens :
David, what size rear rim are you using with that 245?
Jeremy
84 911
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